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Outbound Flight
Dec. 22nd, 2006 07:47 pmGot to the airport with no trouble, save for the fact I got there a full hour before any of the counters even opened. I took the time to wander around my old work location and see what had changed.
Upstairs it was all different. Only two of the people I previously knew were still there. One thing that struck me immediately was that ALL of the white people were gone. I didn’t ask what the cause was for that, but that’s what I saw, its happened both in baggage and passenger.
Got up to the flight departure area and plugged my laptop in to do some work before the flight – to discover it had only 44% battery power. It had been on the charger all night, but apparently I closed it without shutting it off, so it went into hibernation mode instead, and ran the battery more than halfway down on the way to the airport remembering what the startup screen on the computer looked like. I only managed to get it charged about 5% of the way back up before it was time to board.
As I got in the line to board, I was wondering why my ticket was orange and everyone else’s was blue. As I’d made it through screening without a hitch it wasn’t a TSA thing. They started boarding in groups and my ticket didn’t have a group number.
To my surprise, it turned out I has a first class ticket. I have not ridden in first class since 1964, and I’m not kidding about that date either.
I had a glass (a real glass) of orange juice before the steerage masses even shuffled on. It was even served on a really white linen napkin to show off the fact I had it better off than the steerage class.
I got served TWO meals on china plates with real dinnerware (stainless instead of silver, but not plastic except for the knife) and those were on tablecloths. The seat has a built in power jack, a better folding table that comes out of the left armrest and the right armrest has a phone built in. I’ve had about 6 cups of coffee and got a hot towel to wipe off with – yeah rich people do have it better.
Could have used the towel later as it turns out. The plane hit severe turbulence – worse than I’ve ever experienced before. Apparently the crew new it was coming though – they collected everything up before it hit. Even so, it was also memorable as I got to see flying saucers! As well as cups as this was inside the plane.
Hour long wait in Chicago, uneventful and unremarkable.
I board for my second half of this flight in another 7 minutes – and in the time I was here I managed to get about the same amount of charge back into the laptop by plugging in under a water fountain – so I got 45% power again. But that might actually be enough to get through this shorter flight.
As they announced that the flight was getting ready to load, I went over to the ticket taker position only to have about four other people jump in front of me to be closer to the door. When they announced that First Class was now boarding. One of the other chosen ones just pushed through the crowd without an apology and got on the plane. I followed suit and made a point of bumping into all the people who jumped in front of me as I made my way past the underclass to my position of privilege.
Didn’t get to see them go by me though. This was a 757 and the loading point was the dividing line between 1st and 3rd class (3rd class is called “coach”) so I just went forward to my comfy seat and my orange juice.
Good thing I had that nice comfy seat too. Today seemed to be “dog problem day”
Shortly after we boarded, I saw a full grown huskie dog run under the aircraft. That’s not supposed to happen on the parking apron. Apparently their animal restraining techniques don’t work.
Apparently they REALLY don’t work, as another dog that was already on our plane got out of his kennel but not out of the aircraft, and made such a mess we sat on the ground for an hour while they cleaned it up.
Once in the air though, it was the same deal again. Seven cups of coffee, two lunches (a tad late to call it that though) and finally a glass of milk with a big cookie just before the turbulence hit.
I even got a pound of Starbucks coffee on each flight to take home and use later,
I wonder if I got first class coming home?
Upstairs it was all different. Only two of the people I previously knew were still there. One thing that struck me immediately was that ALL of the white people were gone. I didn’t ask what the cause was for that, but that’s what I saw, its happened both in baggage and passenger.
Got up to the flight departure area and plugged my laptop in to do some work before the flight – to discover it had only 44% battery power. It had been on the charger all night, but apparently I closed it without shutting it off, so it went into hibernation mode instead, and ran the battery more than halfway down on the way to the airport remembering what the startup screen on the computer looked like. I only managed to get it charged about 5% of the way back up before it was time to board.
As I got in the line to board, I was wondering why my ticket was orange and everyone else’s was blue. As I’d made it through screening without a hitch it wasn’t a TSA thing. They started boarding in groups and my ticket didn’t have a group number.
To my surprise, it turned out I has a first class ticket. I have not ridden in first class since 1964, and I’m not kidding about that date either.
I had a glass (a real glass) of orange juice before the steerage masses even shuffled on. It was even served on a really white linen napkin to show off the fact I had it better off than the steerage class.
I got served TWO meals on china plates with real dinnerware (stainless instead of silver, but not plastic except for the knife) and those were on tablecloths. The seat has a built in power jack, a better folding table that comes out of the left armrest and the right armrest has a phone built in. I’ve had about 6 cups of coffee and got a hot towel to wipe off with – yeah rich people do have it better.
Could have used the towel later as it turns out. The plane hit severe turbulence – worse than I’ve ever experienced before. Apparently the crew new it was coming though – they collected everything up before it hit. Even so, it was also memorable as I got to see flying saucers! As well as cups as this was inside the plane.
Hour long wait in Chicago, uneventful and unremarkable.
I board for my second half of this flight in another 7 minutes – and in the time I was here I managed to get about the same amount of charge back into the laptop by plugging in under a water fountain – so I got 45% power again. But that might actually be enough to get through this shorter flight.
As they announced that the flight was getting ready to load, I went over to the ticket taker position only to have about four other people jump in front of me to be closer to the door. When they announced that First Class was now boarding. One of the other chosen ones just pushed through the crowd without an apology and got on the plane. I followed suit and made a point of bumping into all the people who jumped in front of me as I made my way past the underclass to my position of privilege.
Didn’t get to see them go by me though. This was a 757 and the loading point was the dividing line between 1st and 3rd class (3rd class is called “coach”) so I just went forward to my comfy seat and my orange juice.
Good thing I had that nice comfy seat too. Today seemed to be “dog problem day”
Shortly after we boarded, I saw a full grown huskie dog run under the aircraft. That’s not supposed to happen on the parking apron. Apparently their animal restraining techniques don’t work.
Apparently they REALLY don’t work, as another dog that was already on our plane got out of his kennel but not out of the aircraft, and made such a mess we sat on the ground for an hour while they cleaned it up.
Once in the air though, it was the same deal again. Seven cups of coffee, two lunches (a tad late to call it that though) and finally a glass of milk with a big cookie just before the turbulence hit.
I even got a pound of Starbucks coffee on each flight to take home and use later,
I wonder if I got first class coming home?
